/lit/ - Literature

Cervantes
Dostoevsky

are you counting philosophy or specifically fiction? if the latter, I can't immediately think of one that has bad writing and is known as a masterpiece, at worst it will have average writing but not bad at all

whenever I read dostoyevsky, granted I am always reading in translation, the prose comes off as quite average but surprisingly I am kept utterly enchanted by the story and characters first and foremost. this kind of reminds me of the difference between classical and modern music actually; of course, classical music is eternal by virtue of its compositional value (in the same way that dostoyevsky's work, at least for me, are eternal by virtue of their characters, ideas, stories etc. instead of prose) compared to much modern music which does not put a focus on the internal composition but rather its explicit and external rendering. this analogy makes sense in my head but I do not have the descriptive apparatus to accurately portray it ngl

also, not a specific book, but myths, legends, fables are famous for their ideas and story and not for their rendering in prose or poetry right? while goethe's faust is an absolutely beautiful piece of writing, the legend itself is famous by virtue of its ideas and story

>>14287942
Dostoevsky's prose isn't half bad, it has a lot of character. When I read something of his' I can instantly recognise it.

>>14288056
*translators

>>14287937
Literary criticism does not boil literature down to ideas/story/prose, which are memes produced by /lit/ and barely exist outside of it.

>>14288163
Yeah because you learn an entire language because you want to read one author. Tell me, have you read Dostoevsky in Russian?

>>14287942
I love Cervantes prose, the long monologue of the ethereal shepherdess at the beginning rivals Shakespeare

>>14287937
Asimov had a ton of extremely influential and respected sci-fi that reads like shit

>>14288680
Chill, son. Dusty is renowned for having bad prose but good translators.

>>14288924
>Dusty is renowned for having bad prose
Show me one respectable critic or theorist who thought that. More would be preferable, if you can find them, but one will suffice.
>good translators
In what language? English? Fucking lmao

>>14287937
dostoevsky
his prose is horrifically garbage but i love that bastard anyway

>>14289705
Google it yourself, Mr. Lazy.

>>14289789
>his prose is horrifically garbage
>Былa чyднaя нoчь, тaкaя нoчь, кoтopaя paзвe тoлькo и мoжeт быть тoгдa, кoгдa мы мoлoды, любeзный читaтeль. Heбo былo тaкoe звeзднoe, тaкoe cвeтлoe нeбo, чтo взглянyв нa нeгo, нeвoльнo нyжнo былo cпpocить ceбя нeyжeли жe мoгyт жить пoд тaким нeбoм paзныe cepдитыe и кaпpизныe люди? Этo тoжe мoлoдoй вoпpoc, любeзный читaтeль, oчeнь мoлoдoй, нo пoшли eгo вaм гocпoдь чaщe нa дyшy!..

>>14289807
No results except Reddit (of course), Quora, and Nabokov's famously edgy "Lectures on Russian Literature". Are you actually that retarded that this counts as renown?

>>14288924
What's your favorite translation of crime and punishment? I'm enjoying the McDuff version.

>>14289858
you're retarded
in France à pollack re translated everything because French translators made dosto too pretty.
he insisted that dosto reads like shit because he himself hated pretty writing.

you're beyond retarded and you don't belong on this board, cancer